Genius Club

“A ticket to the moon?”

It sounded like an outrageous idea at first. But as Lin Xian examined the ticket and saw the name “Elon” printed on it, he began to reconsider.

Elon Musk.

A globally recognized genius.

He was the mastermind behind several groundbreaking projects: founder of SpaceX, head of Tesla, initiator of Starlink, and a pioneer in the quest to colonize Mars.

Ten years ago, his plans seemed overly ambitious, even impossible. Yet a decade later, many of his bold predictions had become a reality. Not only had he advanced reusable rocket technology, but his company had also changed global perceptions of space travel.

Gone were the days when rockets were considered failures due to minor errors. Now, rockets were designed with numerous safety backups, allowing them to function even if multiple engines failed.

In 2021, Elon Musk made headlines by selling four tickets for a space trip, successfully sending four tourists 500 kilometers above Earth for a three-day excursion. This event cemented Elon Musk’s reputation. Until then, only three countries had achieved manned spaceflight. Now, a private enterprise had joined their ranks.

Following this success, Elon Musk started selling tickets for Mars colonization trips. Though mostly promotional, considering his track record, who could doubt his vision?

Often dubbed the Iron Man of Silicon Valley, he seemed capable of turning any vision into reality.

According to the article Zheng Xiang Yue showed him, Elon Musk had sold out a second batch of space travel tickets, with the next flight planned for the following year. Capitalizing on this success, he was now offering tickets for moon trips.

While manned moon missions were still complex, they were less challenging than Mars missions. Elon Musk believed moon trips could begin within a few years.

The price for a moon trip ticket was a staggering $12 million, over double the cost of a space trip ticket, equivalent to more than 84 million yuan. Currently, a $2 million deposit was required, with the remainder due a year before the launch. Two million dollars converted to about 14 million yuan.

Lin Xian noticed Zheng Xiang Yue’s eyes widen in excitement. Such an amount—her brother would never earn that even if he worked non-stop!

And that was just the deposit. The total was another 70 million yuan. Clearly, Zheng Xiang Yue had a limited understanding of finances, having never left the hospital.

“This seems like just a promotional gimmick,” Lin Xian handed the phone back to Zheng Xiang Yue.

“You might not know much about Elon Musk. He’s famous for his plans to colonize Mars. But right now, it’s still a long shot.”

“This moon travel scheme doesn’t even have a fixed launch date, suggesting it’s not quite ready. It might be all talk.”

“Instead of banking on this uncertain plan, you should focus on your treatment, wait for a heart transplant, or the success of the hibernation research. Then we could become astronauts and visit the moon ourselves!”

Zheng Xiang Yue took the phone back, still hopeful after seeing the announcement about moon travel. “I wish my brother could earn a ticket.”

Seeing her expression, Lin Xian fell silent. Sometimes, children’s ideas were simple, yet at other times, they were profound.

For now, Zheng Xiang Yue clung to her dream of “having her ashes buried on the moon.” She doubted her chances of growing up healthy. No one understood this better than someone fighting an illness every day; her deepest wish was for her brother to fulfill her request and take her ashes to the moon…

That was her dream. The naive Zheng Xiang Yue might not fully grasp what ashes meant, nor the impracticality of transporting remains to the moon.

Lin Xian sighed quietly. Ignorance in youth was sometimes a blessing. But eventually, everyone must grow up, face the impossibilities found in fairy tales, and accept life’s disappointments.

He gently patted Zheng Xiang Yue’s head. “Go rest. For your birthday, I’ll bring you a special gift.”

Back at his house, it was still early, perfect time for a long-overdue dream.

The beginning of the dream always took too long. Lin Xian went through the usual motions, convincing CC in the woods behind Li Cheng’s house, persuading her to join the Face Gang, and then sneaking past the junkyard wall to infiltrate New Donghai City and reach the Time Bank.

Click, click, click…

CC was still trying different combinations to unlock the safe. Today, Lin Xian didn’t wander. He had been through a lot recently and had a lot of information to sort through. The real world felt loud and dangerous.

In contrast, his dream now seemed like the safest place, where he could organize his thoughts in peace.

“What’s wrong?” CC suddenly looked up.

“Huh?” Lin Xian was puzzled by her question.

“You seem… very quiet,” CC observed. “Are you dealing with some trouble?”

On their way here, Lin Xian had been very talkative, but now he was unusually silent, which puzzled CC. Moreover, he had said his goal was also the safe. But after all their efforts to get to the Time Bank, Lin Xian hadn’t even looked at the safe or tried any combinations. This confused CC.

This man always appeared mysterious since their meeting, full of secrets, like a wind that didn’t belong to this world, drifting unpredictably.

“Actually, I am facing some problems.”

Normally, Lin Xian wouldn’t share his inner worries with anyone. There were no true secrets in the world; once spoken, things could always be revealed. But dreams were different. Everything would reset in a few hours, leaving no trace.

“If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me,” CC offered as she turned the dial on the safe, her voice low. “If it weren’t for you, I’d never have made it here. As a thanks… if I can help, I will.”

Lin Xian was slightly taken aback by CC’s words. Today, CC seemed more open and even a bit endearing. He thought this change was due to their interactions since entering the dream.

Initially, unfamiliarity led to inevitable arguments or conflicts. But now, Lin Xian knew this part of the story well. He understood everything CC was willing to share and didn’t worry about what she kept to herself. This led to CC’s growing fondness for him.

From CC’s perspective, Lin Xian was knowledgeable, reasonable, and incredibly capable. He selflessly helped her, providing valuable information and safely bringing her to the safe. Without expecting anything in return or competing for the combination to the safe.

Naturally, CC’s attitude towards Lin Xian improved significantly, even leading to trust.

“You probably can’t help,” Lin Xian remarked. “It’s a matter concerning another world and another time.”

“Tell me.”

Lin Xian paused, then, as if speaking to himself, casually said: “There’s a group of people who killed my friends. I don’t know their motives, but now it seems they’re targeting me, wanting to kill me too.”

“Are you going to run away?” CC inquired.

“Running isn’t an option… Where would I go?” Lin Xian found an aluminum alloy safe to sit on and continued: “Besides, it’s not easy to kill me. They need evidence, and… I don’t want to run. Those people were close to me, and they died in front of me. I can’t just leave; I want revenge. But so far, I haven’t found any evidence of their crimes, so I can’t bring them to justice. Instead, they’ve infiltrated the police, gained control, and even invited me to join the investigation team.”

“Did you join?” CC stopped turning the dial and looked at Lin Xian.

“Not yet.” Lin Xian shook his head. “I’m still hesitating. Joining the team would give me a chance to get close to the killers and gather evidence. But it also gives them a chance to get close to me. In the police station, their territory… it’s dangerous for me. I might be caught before I find any evidence and be killed.”

“Are you scared?” CC stood up.

“Scared? No.” Lin Xian smiled. “I’m not scared. I’m just worried that without the perfect plan, I might not only fail to avenge my friends but also lose myself.”

After that, neither CC nor Lin Xian spoke. After a few seconds, CC crouched down again, turning the dial, trying to open the lock but failing.

“This problem of yours, I might not have any advice or answers,” CC said amid the clicking sounds. “Only you know how dangerous your situation is. As an outsider, my words might not help. But… I can tell you a story.”

“Who?” Lin Xian looked up.

CC, seeming resolute, pursed her lips and met Lin Xian’s gaze.

“VV.”